[0:00] Let's turn back to Isaiah 40 and read together at verse 30 but focus on verse 31.
[0:18] Isaiah 40 and verse 30, even youths shall faint and be weary and young men shall fall exhausted. But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.
[0:35] They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.
[0:46] Amen. One of the most precious features of the Christian faith is God knows who we are and God knows where we are.
[1:06] And God knows our every circumstance and everything that we have to experience in this life. That was the case when Jesus came into the world.
[1:18] He didn't just look on the world from afar off as a spectator. He entered into our world with feeling and experience. So he knew, he experienced himself, the difficulties of what it was to live as a human being in this world.
[1:36] But it wasn't just when Jesus came. It was all the way through the Bible. God is concerned and he looks on this world as one who is concerned, deeply and genuinely concerned for the affairs of this world.
[1:52] And not just the big, great political affairs of this world, but each individual person who's been made in his image and who is significant in his purpose and in his sight.
[2:06] Nobody is unknown to God. Not a single person. Not even the sparrow is unknown to God. How much more, says Jesus, are you more important than they are?
[2:20] And that's true for every single person. When we read in John 3.16 that God so loved the world that he gave, we're not just to read some kind of complacent, some kind of superficial pity for the world.
[2:35] God was so concerned and so moved with that unique divine love for this world that he gave.
[2:46] We'll never be able to understand that verse, that great verse that stands at the center of the gospel. But his knowledge of our lives includes the knowledge of all the little frustrations that we think might be little in his sight, but are big to us.
[3:02] Including our worries, our concerns, our frustrations, our sadnesses, the things that we cannot understand in this life.
[3:13] The times that we, the darkness that we go through from time to time in this life. Our illnesses, the things that cause concern, and that includes our tiredness.
[3:25] And here in this passage, if we were to summarize, we would have to say this. It's God's word to the weary. God's word to the weary.
[3:36] Because that's the kind of tiredness, the kind of human tiredness that is described in this passage. And it's a kind that every single one of us, from the youngest to the oldest, is familiar with here today.
[3:51] And isn't it marvelous that God comes to us where we are? Religion is not about us reaching God. None of us would ever be able to do it.
[4:02] All this talk about climbing a mountain to where God is, that's a piece of nonsense. The Christian faith is about God coming into our world and meeting us at a point of need.
[4:15] Knowing every single feature of our lives. And here God shows and he demonstrates to us how much he is familiar with our tiredness.
[4:27] Every one of us knows what it is to be weary and tired. And there can be a whole host of different circumstances that lie behind that. For example, I don't even need to. I just look around at the host of people here today.
[4:41] And some of us are older. Some of us are younger. Some of us are single. Some of us are married with children, grandchildren. Many of you will know the particular tiredness that comes from being a parent, for example.
[4:54] The kind of frustration that there is with a mother looking after her young children. And the kind of ongoing, non-stop work that there is.
[5:05] Thankless task that there is in cleaning and feeding and going after our young children. Making sure that they're always safe. Making sure that when they have a headache or when they have a temperature that they're seen to.
[5:18] Making sure that they have the right kind of food and that their clothes are always reasonably clean. And that they make sure that they progress from day to day and week to week and year to year.
[5:30] And that's an ongoing day to day task that doesn't ever seem to end. And on even the strongest person, that's the kind of task that gets that person down from time to time.
[5:43] And wears them down. And perhaps the father is away. Perhaps the father is offshore. And the mother is left. And I know that for several of you that this is the case. And that leaves one parent in the house by themselves.
[5:57] Looking after. And perhaps you are the father. And perhaps you are even more aware of the frustration that you feel.
[6:09] In either not being able to spend enough time in the house. Or the pressure that you have at work. And where the hours seem endless. Where there seems to be more and more targets to meet.
[6:22] And more and more pressure put on you. To keep you in a job. And to make sure that you achieve everything that your company or your place of work expects you to achieve.
[6:33] So all kinds of pressures on someone's life. And say for example there are even when you think that you've had a rest.
[6:44] Or you've tried to have a rest. You've perhaps even been recently on holiday. And you try to get a holiday sometimes. And it turns out not to be a holiday at all.
[6:54] Because for whatever reason some other responsibility has come your way. And you've had to give your time to that responsibility. It reminds me I was reading the other day. Just when I was thinking of this I was reading the other day of Mark and Mark's gospel.
[7:08] When Jesus said to his disciples. He said come away by yourselves. To a desolate place and rest a while. Jesus knew the needs of his disciples in that respect.
[7:19] He knew how hard they had been working. And he wanted them to just have that little break. By themselves to rest. You know what happened. It tells us for many were coming and going.
[7:30] And they had no leisure even to eat. And so Jesus' idea was to take them away across the boat. Across the lake of Galilee. And to a little desolate place.
[7:42] So they could just have a wee holiday by themselves. But you know what happened. People saw them going. And they were so keen to hear Jesus. And to see some more miracles. That they actually took the long way around.
[7:53] And so the holiday was ruined. If you like. There was no holiday. Jesus had to start once again. Once again. Aware of his responsibility.
[8:05] To heal people. And to teach them. And to. They had to start afresh. So they knew. Of the frustrations that there were in this world. They knew what it was like to hope.
[8:16] To have a break. And not get one. They knew all about. The reality of real life. And that to me. Is a tremendous encouragement.
[8:26] Because I can go to a Jesus. Who knows everything. That I experience in this world. He knows every experience. In this world.
[8:36] He was in every point. Like as we are. Except without sin. And that's a tremendous encouragement. To us. Well that's the. The same sort of theme. Is in this.
[8:47] This verse here. Where God. Is. Is speaking. To those who are weary. And he tells us. First of all. That even his own people.
[8:58] Are not immune. To the kind of weariness. That people have. In this world. In fact. Sometimes. The very fact. That we belong. To God's people. Makes our weariness.
[9:09] And our tiredness. Even. More so. Because. On top of every other. Frustration. And tiredness. And burden. That we have to experience.
[9:19] In this world. There's the added burden. Of continuous. Obedience. To Jesus. Continually. Keeping our temper. Because we belong. To Jesus. How hard is that?
[9:31] Tell me about it. How hard it is. To keep. To keep. That patience. That God requires. Of us. How hard it is.
[9:42] To be on our guard. From day to day. To put on the whole. Armor of God. Not knowing. From one day. Or the next. What the devil. Is going to do. Or how he's going to.
[9:53] Adjust my life. Or try to adjust. The circumstances. In my life. So that. He can. Bring me down. That's what he tries to do. Bring me down.
[10:04] And I know. That many of you. And myself. Have been brought down. In a moment of unguardedness. Which means. That we have to be. On our guard. That's what. The bible tells us.
[10:14] That we have to be. On our guard. That requires us. Constant vigilance. Constant. Watchfulness. And from day to day. It's easy enough. For a day. To be watchful. But it's not so easy.
[10:25] From day to day. To be watchful. To be on our guard. Against the evil one. And there's all of these. Added. Responsibilities. That there is.
[10:35] Of course. We bear them. Because we love the Lord. And because we want to show. By the quality of our lives. And by our character. There's no.
[10:46] There's no point in me. Trying to be a witness. In this world. If my character. Is going to be the same. As everyone else. If I'm going to be out. For what I can get. If I'm going to be selfish.
[10:57] And ratty. And irritable. And lose my temper. And proud. And all of the other things. I see around me. I'm no different from anybody else. And I'll never. I'm never going to expect.
[11:07] The gospel to go out. Nobody's going to notice. A single difference. In my life. And so that means. That I have to get up. In the morning. And I have to ask the Lord. For grace. To live.
[11:18] The life. That he has given me. Throughout that day. So what that means. Is that. In many ways. A Christian. Is. He's not only not immune.
[11:29] But he carries. A huge responsibility. And I'll tell you. It goes. This passage goes further than that. We're not talking about. Just that weariness. But we're talking about.
[11:39] That spiritual weariness. Now here's the point. So please. We're talking about. That spiritual weariness. In which we lose sight. Of God's.
[11:52] Continuous. Constant. Care. Over us. As individuals. And I'll prove it to you. Look at the verse. Verse 27. Here's the context. Of the passage.
[12:03] Here's what the people were saying. Or some of the people. Anyway. God's talking to people. Who know him. And who follow him. And love him. And God's asking them. A very important question.
[12:13] Perhaps he's asking you. The same question. This morning. Here's the question. Verse 27. Why do you say. O Jacob. And speak. O Israel.
[12:24] My way. Is hidden. From the Lord. And my right. Is disregarded. By my God. See. We're not talking here.
[12:35] About. What I've been saying before. About just tiredness. Or that feeling of weariness. Of the constant. The constant responsibility. That we have as human beings. And as Christians.
[12:46] We're talking about. Where that person. Has gone one step further. And they have lost sight. Of the care. Of God. Perhaps it is because. That you feel. And perhaps it is because.
[12:56] You feel that. God is so great. So mighty. So endless. And eternal. That he's only concerned.
[13:07] With the big issues. In the universe. Or in the world. And it's so easy. To drift. Into that way. Of thinking. Where we think of God. As remote.
[13:18] And detached. And unobservant. And uncaring. Why should God. In my little. My little house. In Lewis Street. Or Keith Street. Or Matheson Road.
[13:29] Why should God. Care about. The things. That get me down so much. Because in the grand scheme. Of things. They're not really important. They're only important. To me.
[13:40] God says to you today. Why are you thinking that way? Why do you think that way? And then he tells you.
[13:50] Have you not known? He's surprised. As it were. He's again. Using. As he often does. Using human language. To express. Something about himself. And he's asking.
[14:01] A further question. Have you not known? Have you not heard? The God. The Lord. Is the everlasting God. The creator. Of the ends. Of the earth.
[14:11] He does not grow faint. Or grow weary. His understanding. Is unsearchable. What God is saying. By answer to that question. To that. My way. Is hidden from the Lord.
[14:22] Is this. It is. Because. I am so great. It is because. I am so eternal. And so unchangeable.
[14:34] And so. Infinite. In my knowledge. Of every single. Iota. Or. Everything that happens. In the world. That I do know. And what's more.
[14:44] I do care. And that's the two. These are the two messages. That God. Gives to his people. In this passage. First of all. I know. And I care.
[14:58] And when God says. I care. It is always. An active caring. God never expresses. Love for his people. Without that love. Being. Active.
[15:09] Love. A love that does. A love that gets. Engaged into action. For us. So not only. Are we to know. This morning. That God. Cares from heaven.
[15:20] But that. That care. And that love. For his people. Extends. To actions. That take place. Whether we know it. Or not. That will. Make a difference. To the way.
[15:31] In which we see. Our lives. But I want us to. Concentrate. Just in the closing. In the last. Half of. Of what we have to say. This morning. On that last verse. Which I'm sure. We all know.
[15:43] With that. Recognizing. Recognizing. That even young people. Have their breaking point. The fittest. The most active person. Has his breaking point. Even youth shall faint. And be weary.
[15:53] But. They. Who wait on the Lord. Now here's. God's word. To the weary. This morning. They. Who wait on the Lord. Shall renew.
[16:04] Their strength. They shall mount up. With wings. Like eagles. They shall run. And not be weary. They shall walk. And not faint.
[16:15] Perhaps there are. Many of us this morning. And this is. This is exactly. What you need to hear. And I hope it is. Because many of us. Know full well.
[16:26] What this experience is. Of not only. Being aware. Of our own tiredness. Not only being aware. Of our own tiredness. As Christians. But. Being.
[16:37] Sometimes. Losing sight. Of the very. Nature. Of God's. Connection. And his love. And his. Relationship. With his people. And God says to us. Well whatever.
[16:48] Whatever's brought you to that point. I want that to change. From. Now on. Now I want to just. I want to suggest to you. There are four ways. Of responding.
[16:58] To this verse 31. There are four. Possible responses. To this verse. Three of them. Are wrong. Responses.
[17:09] Sometimes. It's by recognizing. The wrong way. Of understanding. The Bible. That we can. Get a firmer grip. On the right way. Of understanding it. That's what I want to do.
[17:20] This morning. I want us to say. I want us to talk about. Four different responses. To this verse. Three of which. Are entirely wrong. And one of which.
[17:31] Is right. And if we grasp that. Then we'll derive strength. And renewal. From. From coming around. God's word. The first response. Wrong response.
[17:42] Is by. Is the person who says. There is no God. This verse. Is only. A prop. Given to you. In nice. Lovely.
[17:52] Language. In order to. In order to. Encourage people. Who are stupid enough. To believe in God. In the first place. And whilst we recognize.
[18:03] The language. And whilst we recognize. There is a particular. Human need. That will. That will respond. To this kind of thing. It is all. A piece of nonsense. Because. There is.
[18:14] No God. And. Therefore. There is. To wait. On. On God. Whatever that means. Is just. A. A. Crutch. It is a.
[18:24] Panacea. There is nothing. In it. Whatsoever. That is what. The atheist. Will say. And we respond. To the verse. By completely. Disregarding it.
[18:35] All together. And that is why God. In this chapter. He is speaking. Through Isaiah. He is. He is. Making. Absolutely. Certain. That.
[18:46] The people. That he. Reveals himself. As the living. And the true God. God. Is. I am not going to spend. Any more time on that. Because. We are here today. And I am quite sure.
[18:57] That we are. Listening to God's word. I hope we are. And I hope. That we are recognizing. The God. Who. Who. Is speaking to us. In this verse.
[19:07] The second. Response. The second. Wrong response. Is. The person. Who says. Yes. There is a creator. But it doesn't matter.
[19:18] Who he is. It doesn't matter. What kind of God. He is. That's not important. Because. Different people. In different parts. Of the world. Believe God. To be who they believe.
[19:29] He is. And for them. It's all slightly different. And therefore. Therefore. What's important here. Is to. Go through. Whatever. Ritual. I need to go through.
[19:41] In order to bring. A sense of peace. And that's what. Waiting. For the Lord. Means. In other words. It doesn't matter. What the definition. Of God is.
[19:51] As long as I believe. In something. Some kind of. Even an impersonal. Force. Or. Whatever God. You happen to believe in. Or. Whatever God.
[20:02] Happens to suit. You. And where you live. And your culture. That's the God. You want to. To believe in. And you go through. Whatever mystical. Ritual.
[20:14] In order to bring. A sense of peace. But that's not. What this verse. Tells us. At all. This chapter. Is all about. God. As he reveals himself.
[20:25] In the pages. Of the Bible. And in the person. Of Jesus Christ. And I would suggest. To the person. Who takes that view. That such a belief.
[20:36] Is completely. Meaningless. How why. I can't understand. Why anybody. Would give their time. And their energy. To a religion.
[20:46] That they know nothing about. I can't understand. That at all. Even if there are ways. Well there are ways. Of. Generating. A sense of peace. Even not believing. In God at all.
[20:57] You can take a sedative. To. To generate. A sense of peace. You can use chemicals. To bring about. Some kind of relaxation. Without believing. In God at all.
[21:09] But in this passage. And throughout. The whole of the Bible. God reveals himself. As the only. Living. And true God. The God who is eternal.
[21:21] Unchangeable. Sovereign. Ruler. Ruler. Over the universe. We don't understand. What. Exactly. What that means. But. Nevertheless. That's how he.
[21:31] Reveals himself. To us. And he gives us. The enough information. About himself. For us to know. Who he is. And for us to come. To know him. In the pages.
[21:42] Of the Bible. And in the person. Of Jesus Christ. That's the. That's the second. Wrong way. There's another wrong way. Of understanding it.
[21:53] And that is to say. Yes. I believe in. In God. As he reveals himself. To the. In the Bible. And I love the Bible. I love the Bible. And all. All that the Bible is. But what this verse.
[22:03] Tells me. Is that. I'm going to achieve. My dreams. And I'm going to achieve. My goals. And from now on. God. Here is God.
[22:13] Promising me. That if I wait. On the Lord. That everything. That has failed. In my life. Is all of a sudden. Going to. Turn back. On its feet. And I'm going to enjoy.
[22:24] All the successes. I haven't enjoyed. Up until now. That's the health. And wealth. And prosperity gospel. That you'll find. All too often. Sadly. On. On. On gospel TV.
[22:35] Where someone will stand to you. And say. Look. Up until now. You've asked. And you've longed. And you've dreamed. For success. In this world.
[22:46] And you've failed. Let's come to a chapter. Like this. And here is God. Telling you. That from now on. You're going to succeed. You're going to achieve.
[22:57] Your dreams. Your life is going to change. From now on. And instead of failure. And tears. And tiredness. You're going to be on top. Of everything. And you're going to achieve.
[23:09] Everything. Because God. Wants you to have it. You ever heard that before? You have. Haven't you? Many of you have heard that. And it's. You know what's plausible. Because it's all supposed to be grounded.
[23:20] On the Bible. And it's very tempting. To believe that. Because it's so subtle. And I'll tell you where the problem is. And it's a massive problem. The problem is.
[23:30] That that message. Doesn't center around the cross. And here's how. To tell. The truth from error. The real preaching of the gospel. Is always centered on Jesus.
[23:42] And the cross. The real preaching of the gospel. Is to center it on. Why we needed Jesus. To come into the world. Because of our sin. Our greatest need in the world.
[23:53] Is not to achieve our dreams. That's nothing. Our great need in the world. Is to be right with God. And what separates us. From being right with God. Is our sin. That keeps us.
[24:04] From God. And in order to take away. That sin. Jesus came into the world. And therefore. The message of the gospel. The message of the Bible. Is Calvary. Any message.
[24:17] That shifts the cross. To one side. And replaces it. With my dreams. And my ambitions. And my life. It centers around me. The gospel is not about me.
[24:27] The gospel is about God. And what he has done. In Jesus Christ. Even this passage. It actually isn't. About me. And my needs. It's about. Reorienting.
[24:39] My life. So that I see. God clearly. And so that I rejoice. In God. And what he's done. And so there is a third. Wrong way. Of understanding this.
[24:49] When we. Center. The message. Around. Around our goals. And our ambitions. And our dreams. This message. Today. This verse.
[25:01] Comes to us. Where we are. And it declares. Declares that God. Has made himself known. In the pages. Of the Bible. Now I say that.
[25:11] Once again. Because we live in such. A confused world. Where it's so difficult. To find the truth. Of God. Until you come. To the Bible. And that's why I'd say.
[25:21] To everyone. Who is confused. About God. Start reading your Bible. Start reading the Gospels. This is how you discover. The reality of God. Jesus says.
[25:32] He who has seen me. Has seen the Father. Jesus came. To show us. Not only. Who God is. His nature. And his power. And his might.
[25:43] But he also came. To reconcile us. To God. So that's why. I would always point you. First and foremost. In the direction. Of Jesus Christ. Because it is through him.
[25:54] That we discover. The reality of God. And we discover. That it's not as confused. As we thought it was. And even where there are questions. On the important issues.
[26:04] God has made himself known. As a reality. As ultimately. As ultimately. Almighty. Eternal. Without beginning. And without end.
[26:16] Powerful. In every possible respect. Great is his power. But he also tells us. In this passage. Not only about his power. But about his nature.
[26:27] His grace. Look at what he says. Have you not known. The Lord is the everlasting God. The creator of the ends of the earth. In other words. There is nothing. That he can't do. And there is nothing.
[26:38] Over which. He does not have control. But he goes on. He does not faint. Or grow weary. His understanding. Is unsearchable. His knowledge. And his. His power. But then.
[26:48] In verse 29. Is what gives me. So much encouragement. He gives power. To the faint. You see. This verse tells me. That not only God. Is powerful. In himself. But he's willing.
[26:59] And able. To give. That strength. And to give. That grace. To give. Of himself. But he's talking. To his people.
[27:11] This is not a verse. This is not a self-help verse. You have no good news. In this verse. If you do not know. The Lord. For yourself.
[27:21] The very beginning. In verse 27. He makes it clear. He's talking to. Jacob. He's talking to Israel. Who is Jacob. And who is Israel. The New Testament tells us. Jacob and Israel.
[27:33] Israel. Are those. Who have come. To know him. And follow him. Through. Jesus. Christ. The Old Testament is using.
[27:45] Very often. Even in the New Testament. Uses Old Testament language. To describe. Those who by faith. Love. And serve. And receive. Jesus Christ.
[27:56] As their. Savior. So right away. In this passage. God is talking to. His own people. Are you amongst.
[28:08] His people today. And if not. Why not. Jesus says. I am the door. I am the way. The truth.
[28:18] And the life. Bible tells us. That the gift of God. Is everlasting life. Through Jesus Christ. The only person. Who's keeping you. Outside of his kingdom. Is you. By refusing to listen.
[28:30] By not being willing. To come in. To. Jesus says. This is the condemnation. That light has come into the world. And men have loved darkness. Rather than light. The reason you're not in this kingdom.
[28:41] Is because you love. You prefer. Darkness. Rather. Than light. Come in. And discover yourself. The greatness of God. And discover. The strength.
[28:52] And the help. That he gives. To his people. Not only forgiveness. But daily help. And daily guidance. So then. That leaves us. With the question. Then what does it mean.
[29:03] To wait. On the Lord. What does it mean. To wait on the Lord. And what is the promise. That's given. That their strength. Will be renewed. The promise. That's given.
[29:14] To everyone. Who waits. Upon. The Lord. Well I've said before. There's not some kind of mystical. Undefined ritual. Religious ritual. That's not it at all.
[29:25] What does it mean. Well first of all. It means. A life. That is oriented. Towards God's. Ultimate.
[29:36] Purpose. A life. That is oriented. Towards God's. Ultimate. Purpose. Let me give you. A couple of.
[29:46] A couple of examples. One from the Bible. And one from. From my own everyday experience. Or regular experience. First of all. Let me give you an example. Of Simeon. Remember the. Remember the. The older man.
[29:56] Simeon. Who was so. Overjoyed. When he saw. The baby Jesus. And it tells us. Why he was so. Overjoyed. Because he was waiting. For the consolation.
[30:09] Of Israel. In other words. His epitaph. Simeon's epitaph. What's written. On his gravestone. Is. He waited. For God. And his purpose.
[30:20] In Israel. In other words. His whole life. From when he came. To discover. The truth of God. Was waiting. Waiting. The second example.
[30:31] Is from my own. Regular experience. I sometimes conduct. Weddings. As you know. Like every other minister does. And. It's not just the wedding itself. But it's the. Before the wedding. Which you.
[30:42] What usually happens. Is that we room over there. And we meet with. The groom. And the best man. In the room. And for about 15 minutes. And we talk together. And we. Share together. His last 15 minutes.
[30:53] Of singleness. Before. We're called in. So that the wedding. Begins. And. I've often wondered. About the significance. Of that. Those 15 minutes. I believe.
[31:03] That are highly significant. It's almost a sense. In which. They kind of describe. What this man. Has been doing. For the last 10 months. Of his life. Since he's got engaged.
[31:14] As soon as he gets engaged. His life. Life. Becomes one. Of waiting. And so much. In his life. Is oriented. Towards. That day. That is still.
[31:25] To come. It goes into his diary. There's not a day. But he thinks. About that day. And most of the days. He's preparing. In some. Kind of way. He's preparing.
[31:35] He's changing. His bank accounts. And he's. He's altering the insurance. On his car. To include. The wife's name on it. They're maybe changing. The passports. And all of these things. That his life. Is oriented.
[31:47] Towards. Well. It's the same. With the bride. Life is oriented. Towards. That day. The wait. On. The Lord. And that's exactly. What it means. When it tells us. That Simeon.
[31:57] Was waiting. For the consolation. His whole life. Was lived. In expectancy. In anticipation. In hope. In waiting.
[32:08] For what God. Was going to do. In Israel. And that's exactly. Why he was overjoyed. When he saw. The baby. With Jesus. Because he recognized. He recognized. Now. Why is it.
[32:20] That in the New Testament. Paul. Makes so. So many references. To the second coming. Of Jesus. And you might be tempted. To ask.
[32:30] When you read those passages. That you might be tempted. To ask. What does that have to do. With my everyday life. Well. Let me give you some examples. Of how there's a connection. Between what God. Is going to do.
[32:41] And our everyday life. First Corinthians 15. And verse 20. First Corinthians 15. Of course. Speaks about the resurrection. The resurrection body. The expectation. That we have.
[32:52] That when we die. One day. God will come again. Jesus will come again. And our bodies. Will come to life. And we will go. Forever to be with the Lord. If we live and die in him. This is what he says.
[33:03] Be steadfast. Immovable. Always abounding. In the work of the Lord. Knowing. That in the Lord. Your labor. Is not in vain.
[33:14] In other words. There's a connection. Between what God's going to do. And my everyday life. Which needs to be oriented. To his purposes.
[33:25] First Thessalonians. Chapter 1. And verse 10. Where Paul says. You turn to God. From idols. And to serve. The living. And true God. And to wait.
[33:37] You see it. You turn to God. Up until the moment. You were converted. You were serving idols. Completely useless. That's the way. Your life was oriented. Towards these idols.
[33:48] Whoever they were. But the moment. You were converted. Your whole life. Became oriented. Around God. In which you now. Wait. For his son. From heaven.
[33:58] In other words. As they turned. From a life. Which was devoted. To idols. Their lives. Were transformed. Into a new life. And then Titus. Chapter 2. And verse 11. And 13. For the grace of God.
[34:09] Has appeared. Bringing salvation. For all people. Training us. To renounce ungodliness. And worldly passions. And to live self-controlled. Upright. And godly lives. In the present age.
[34:20] Waiting. See that? Waiting. Waiting. Waiting for our blessed hope. The appearance of the glory. Of our great God. And saviour. Jesus Christ. So. The first thing I would say. Is what does waiting.
[34:31] On the Lord means? Is it's not some kind of ritual. It's not some kind of momentary. Mystical ritual. It is to return. To what the Bible says.
[34:41] About God's ultimate purpose. In this world. And you know. Once you start. Once you return. And see your life. As being part.
[34:53] Of that incredibly. Huge. Massive purpose. Then. Our little circumstances. They begin to be transformed.
[35:03] Don't they? We see them in a different life. We see them. From. A different perspective. And when God says. Those who wait. For the Lord. They shall renew their strength.
[35:14] God does not promise. To take our. It doesn't. Promise. To take our problems. Away from us. What he promises. Is to give us. A renewed vision.
[35:26] Of what he. Is doing. In the world. And that. Includes. Me. And includes you. And that is how God.
[35:38] Strengthens his people. As we come. Back to the Bible. For example. The problem is. That most of. So much of our weariness. Is because we fill our lives.
[35:48] With. A whole bunch of. Very often. Unnecessary stuff. Become clogged up. And bogged down. So that the worst thing. Of all is that. That quality time. With the Lord. Gets pushed out.
[36:00] I believe it's the same problem. Here in Israel. Don't think there was ever. An age. Or a generation. When God's people. Were not. Falling into the same temptation. Clogging our lives up.
[36:11] With all kinds of things. That. That obscures. What God is doing. You know what. We need to do. We need to say. Right. Today.
[36:22] Today. I am going to spend. Quality time. With the Lord. Now it might be difficult. For you on a weekday.
[36:34] How come it's difficult. On a Sunday. Why is it so difficult. On a Sunday. And in that time. I'm going to come. Personally. To him.
[36:45] And it's going to be a time. When I'm going to review. My past week. My priorities. My life. My thoughts. My ambitions. I'm going to confess. My sin.
[36:59] And in my case. That would take. Quite a long time. And I'm also going to take. My Bible with me. And I'm going to read. My Bible.
[37:09] And I'm going to ask. As I read. What is the Lord. Telling me. In this word. I'm not going to read it. As I. Very often do. Just a chapter. That goes in one ear. And out the rest.
[37:20] Because I'm so busy. To get out the door. This is quality time. With the Lord. And I'm going to wait. For him. And I'm going to spend. Time in his presence.
[37:31] And you know what happens. When you do that. Many of you know this. From your own experience. You know what happens. You begin to see things. In a totally different light. Altogether. Don't you? And you begin to rediscover.
[37:45] The enormity. Of God's covenant love. For you. That's part of the problem. That's the problem. With seeing. With losing sight.
[37:56] Of God's nearness. And his immense. Love. What calls. What Paul calls. The height. And the breadth. And the depth. Of God's love for you.
[38:06] And. When you rediscover that. You feel a sense of security. Because you rediscovered. What God has done for you. And the place.
[38:17] That God has given you. In his kingdom. And the place. With which he regards you. As his son. As his daughter. And in which he takes. Pleasure. And delight.
[38:28] In you. The problem is. As soon as you lose sight. Of God. And his nearness. You think that he's. Got something against you. And you think that. I'll never be able. To regain. That relationship.
[38:39] That I once had. With him. Because. Surely he's going to repay me. With the. With the complacency. That I have shown. Towards him. Not true. God's love.
[38:50] Is. Unconditional. And it doesn't depend. On. Our failures. God's love. Is constant. It is. Unchangeable.
[39:01] That's why he wants to express himself. In this chapter. As the. Unchangeable. God. His love. Is. Unchangeable. So you come to him today. On that basis.
[39:13] Come to him personally. As you are. And enjoy him. Enjoy his word. Express. Your love for him.
[39:25] And draw. The strength. That he. Is longing. To give you. Through his word. And. You will. Renew. Your strength. And mount up.
[39:37] With wings. Like eagles. And walk. Run. And not be weary. And walk. And not faint. Let's pray. Amen. Father.
[39:52] We pray that. As we come here today. We pray to be changed. By your spirit. We all need to be changed. Regularly. Constantly.
[40:03] We need to be shown. For who we are. But we need also. A fresh revelation. Of your grace. And your power. And your nature.
[40:15] We ask. Oh Lord. That you will give us that. And we pray that you will come near to us. As we now come near to you. And as we want to. Enjoy.
[40:26] The presence of God. Enjoy listening to your word. And enjoy doing. What your word says. With renewed strength. In Jesus name. Amen.